Re: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
What's missing in this convo is our responsibility and agency to unplug and prioritize the meaning of our lives digit-less, using it as information and not advice. Most meaningful interactions are F2F (or virtual F2F). Algorithms are not destiny, and neither is current culture. The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn is a function of ego. Choice, which is within each of us, not determined online or via algorithms, and driven by the humility to seek others' advice, consensus and judgement.
i love that! a hugely important point: thank you, Melanie!!! and thank you for reading!!!! (there was a piece i cut for time about using the internet as / thinking of the internet as oral history to learn from which in ways plays into that idea of it not being destiny nor current culture but "a log") (or so i'd love for it to be haha)
Dang! I'd be curious about that discussion! Yes! Internet as log, our tech footprint, hubris and ignorance to be documented forever as a warning to future civilizations lol. They'll find my gold crown as part of humanity's litter left behind haha
Agree and I would love to hear an exploration of how our own personal agency impacts our experience of the dynamics described. So I see you- and I raise you this morsel for thought: the fact that 1 mitigating option would require us to consciously disengage and reorient our internet and social media usage actually reaffirms the extent of its impact and pervasiveness. Understandably, your reflexive suggestion is that we should “use our free will wisely” to disengage and NOT why do we even have to employ active effort in order to reduce the harm caused by all of this? I imagine it’s similar to our human ancestors electing to live with lions and then deciding to study and learn their moods so we minimize the likelihood that we become their preferred rage outlet and meal option; rather than just electing NOT to establish our tents near their dens…. (Aka - seems like a more efficient option is to eliminate the risk of harm vs managing it)
Just a little window into my world, I listened to this interview while I was putting away my Costco groceries. I followed up with Mike Brock’s newest piece on how capitalists like Tim Cook bowing before Donald Trump’s authoritarianism is making Karl Marx’ argument for him. Now I can’t get this song out of my head, but I’m gonna watch the Wizard of Oz with my kid here in a minute. https://youtu.be/r9f21bsjMIo?si=gc-0-u776AYCgaxi
woo wee need to read that Mike Brock piece as...Tim Cook, et al, are certainly going to be remembered for a legacy of foot soldierism before a pathetic king. (see also: the pre-emptive "pausing" of the show The Savant)
"Now we have a much more dialogic setup, where you — Anybody! — can go on a post by CNN and type out their grievances or do something destructive and have millions or billions of people react within seconds. It’s not that these things weren’t present before but there was a muffling effect that created dominant narratives, which held people together."
This is interesting as I have been playing with the idea that previously because (almost) everybody's personal grievances and ideas were localized, it meant human thought was incredibly diverse. With the Internet and the rise of English on it plus things like memes that (at their best/ worst) bypass language barriers, has our thought become so homogenous we are working from a small set of inbred ideas?
you are very much onto something, as English becomes the internet's language. it really does flatten everything, while also making influences spread "easier" (a la: Trumpism going global in a way that everyone notices — and can see and demand for, in a very clear way). the blessing and the curse of tech, clearly.
This was fantastic. I have 7 or 8 post-it notes excerpting several key points that were raised in such digestible bites. Is part II forthcoming in the near future?
I don’t really like labels so much, but if I am part of some “consciousness movement“ I was literally just thinking about the concept of my screen addiction fueling my knowing so much that it’s nearly unbearable. Like an overflowing jug, carrying around this much conscious awareness is mission impossible. It reminds me of tripping out on LSD. I recently immersed myself in a lot of Jung, and in combination with current events and lack of sleep I swear I had an acid flashback. I could probably bottle and sell the experience, if I were looking to start some sort of enterprise. I literally felt high.
Interesting conversation! Thank you!
Re: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
What's missing in this convo is our responsibility and agency to unplug and prioritize the meaning of our lives digit-less, using it as information and not advice. Most meaningful interactions are F2F (or virtual F2F). Algorithms are not destiny, and neither is current culture. The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn is a function of ego. Choice, which is within each of us, not determined online or via algorithms, and driven by the humility to seek others' advice, consensus and judgement.
i love that! a hugely important point: thank you, Melanie!!! and thank you for reading!!!! (there was a piece i cut for time about using the internet as / thinking of the internet as oral history to learn from which in ways plays into that idea of it not being destiny nor current culture but "a log") (or so i'd love for it to be haha)
Dang! I'd be curious about that discussion! Yes! Internet as log, our tech footprint, hubris and ignorance to be documented forever as a warning to future civilizations lol. They'll find my gold crown as part of humanity's litter left behind haha
Agree and I would love to hear an exploration of how our own personal agency impacts our experience of the dynamics described. So I see you- and I raise you this morsel for thought: the fact that 1 mitigating option would require us to consciously disengage and reorient our internet and social media usage actually reaffirms the extent of its impact and pervasiveness. Understandably, your reflexive suggestion is that we should “use our free will wisely” to disengage and NOT why do we even have to employ active effort in order to reduce the harm caused by all of this? I imagine it’s similar to our human ancestors electing to live with lions and then deciding to study and learn their moods so we minimize the likelihood that we become their preferred rage outlet and meal option; rather than just electing NOT to establish our tents near their dens…. (Aka - seems like a more efficient option is to eliminate the risk of harm vs managing it)
Just a little window into my world, I listened to this interview while I was putting away my Costco groceries. I followed up with Mike Brock’s newest piece on how capitalists like Tim Cook bowing before Donald Trump’s authoritarianism is making Karl Marx’ argument for him. Now I can’t get this song out of my head, but I’m gonna watch the Wizard of Oz with my kid here in a minute. https://youtu.be/r9f21bsjMIo?si=gc-0-u776AYCgaxi
and thank you for reading, Jimmy!
woo wee need to read that Mike Brock piece as...Tim Cook, et al, are certainly going to be remembered for a legacy of foot soldierism before a pathetic king. (see also: the pre-emptive "pausing" of the show The Savant)
"Now we have a much more dialogic setup, where you — Anybody! — can go on a post by CNN and type out their grievances or do something destructive and have millions or billions of people react within seconds. It’s not that these things weren’t present before but there was a muffling effect that created dominant narratives, which held people together."
This is interesting as I have been playing with the idea that previously because (almost) everybody's personal grievances and ideas were localized, it meant human thought was incredibly diverse. With the Internet and the rise of English on it plus things like memes that (at their best/ worst) bypass language barriers, has our thought become so homogenous we are working from a small set of inbred ideas?
and thank you for reading, Tom!!
you are very much onto something, as English becomes the internet's language. it really does flatten everything, while also making influences spread "easier" (a la: Trumpism going global in a way that everyone notices — and can see and demand for, in a very clear way). the blessing and the curse of tech, clearly.
This was fantastic. I have 7 or 8 post-it notes excerpting several key points that were raised in such digestible bites. Is part II forthcoming in the near future?
thank you, Alex!!! and stay tuned i...need to revisit the transcript and see if there's enough to share but will keep you posted!
It’s Schrödinger’s internet.
So Internet subculture is like a broken condom?
I don’t really like labels so much, but if I am part of some “consciousness movement“ I was literally just thinking about the concept of my screen addiction fueling my knowing so much that it’s nearly unbearable. Like an overflowing jug, carrying around this much conscious awareness is mission impossible. It reminds me of tripping out on LSD. I recently immersed myself in a lot of Jung, and in combination with current events and lack of sleep I swear I had an acid flashback. I could probably bottle and sell the experience, if I were looking to start some sort of enterprise. I literally felt high.